Zac Efron references the real-life accident which saw him shatter his jaw in rom-com A Family Affair

By Kate Dennett For Daily Mail Australia 01:38 02 Jul 2024, updated 13:57 03 Jul 2024

• READ MORE: Zac Efron shares hilarious behind-the-scenes clip of Joey King doing her own skull-knock stunt in rom-com A Family Affair with Nicole Kidman

Zac Efron references his shocking real-life jaw injury in his new rom-com A Family Affair.

The American actor, 36, has returned to screens as the male lead in the Netflix flick, with Nicole Kidman playing his love interest.

He stars as fictional shallow and vain movie star Chris Cole, while Nicole plays writer Brook Harwood, the mother of his long-suffering assistant Zara (Joey King).

One scene sees romance beginning to blossom between Chris and Brook as they get cosy on a couch and share stories about their injuries from over the years.

Chris tells Brook how he had surgery on his chin after a fall -  a direct reference to Zac's real-life jaw injury.

Chris says: 'I did have surgery though. I fell on set, some broken glass,' before lifting up his head to show Brooke the scar on the bottom of his chin.

The story bears a close resemblance to Zac's real-life accident, which saw him shatter his jaw after smashing his chin on a fountain when he slipped at home.

Viewers also took to X - formerly known as Twitter - to remark on Zac's changed look in the movie, after the nasty accident left him with a fuller and more square jawline.

With many unaware of the reason behind his changed appearance, one questioned: 'What happened to Zac Efron's face? Did he get a bunch of filler?'

Another said: 'Watching A Family Affair. What happened to Zac Efron's face?' 

A third commented: 'Zac Efron's face just look so stiff tho but he's still cute,' and a fourth penned: 'Why does Zac Efron's face look different? Did something happen?'

Another added: 'I just started A Family Affair on Netflix and you guys what happened to Zac Efron's face? Surgery? Or make up for the movie?'

In 2022, Zac detailed the terrifying accident which saw him shatter his jaw after he was hit by plastic surgery rumours.

Zac told Men's Health Magazine he slipped in a puddle of water while running in socks at his home and smashed his chin into a granite fountain.

He recalled how he lost consciousness and woke up to find his chin bone was 'hanging off his face' after the nasty accident in 2013.

Zac explained how the masseter muscles on the inside of his face and jaw 'compensated' for his injury and grew in size, leading to his changed jaw shape.

'The masseters just grew. They just got really, really big,' he shared of the shocking accident. 

Zac later told Entertainment Tonight that he nearly died after the freak injury, explaining: 'It was funny. It sucks. I almost died, but we're good.' 

The High School Musical star claimed he didn't know his transformation had gone viral on social media until his mother told him about the plastic surgery rumours.

'My mom told me. I never really read the internet, so, I don't really care,' he admitted.

At the time, Zac's friend Kyle Sandilands also shut down rumours that the Baywatch star had undergone plastic surgery.

'I would know if he'd had any plastic surgery,' Australian radio host Kyle declared at the time on The Kyle And Jackie O Show.